Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard: should they have already been shut down?

So we'll sit back and enjoy the games as the players risk all for their enrichment and our entertainment. And the glory of qualifying for the tournament and possibly even advancing past the first round.________________________That post contains half a dozen quotes from previous posts on the subject and is a good summary.In Kansas City the Royals have won the first two games over the New York Mets. Now the seven game series switches to Citi Field, the Mets home park. The Royals have held serve. If the Mets can do the same, no harm.However, the Mets have lost both games started by their two best pitchers, both with lots of rest, who had disturbingly similar patterns. In game one Matt Harvey pitched six innings. In game two Jacob deGrom pitched five innings. Each was removed after completing his final inning. All runs allowed were earned.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Harvey

1

0

0

0

0

2

deGrom

0

0

0

0

4

Maybe it's just the pressure. Maybe they're a bit tired generally. Maybe they should have already stopped pitching.

Noah Syndergaard July 25, 2015 by slgckgc via Wikimedia Commons

Rookie Noah Syndergaard is scheduled to start game three in New York tomorrow with lots of rest. Syndergaard faces the same issue as Harvey and deGrom. Including minor league and tournament innings:

previous

Pct

2015

high

above

Harvey

208

178

16.85%

deGrom

216

179

20.67%

Syndergaard

193

133

45.11%

Harvey, of course, is coming off "Tommy John" elbow surgery in October 2013, which caused Harvey to miss the entire 2014 season. There was melodrama during the 2015 season about Harvey's doctor recommending that Harvey not pitch more than 180 innings, which would about match Harvey's previous high in 2013.There's a championship to be won and money to be made and reputations established. And how much do fans truly like their players and how much are those players merely objects?